Fall transit crisis season upon us. First up: What will happen with unfunded Highway 1 rapid bus when the new Port Mann bridge opens

Part of the fall ritual is announcements about improved bus service here and there in the region, as TransLink determines where the transit-rider bulges are. This year, service is going up for a number of heavy commuter routes south of the Fraser, but other, less-used routes are being reduced, some to once an hour. Yikes, won’t be building up any customers there! (You can read all the changes here, which make great nerd material. Alert people will have noticed there what the City of Vancouver announced today, which is that Robson Square is going to remain closed to traffic even after Labour Day.)

And, as the summer doldrums end, we are back to thrashing around about how to pay for transit. As my story in yesterday’s Globe detailed, we’re going to have the privilege as of Sept. 17 of commenting on a new 10-year plan, one that is supposed to include a solution for the Highway 1 bus, among other projects.